The present disclosure relates to a recording medium storage apparatus that includes a storage cassette for storing a recording medium and a lock mechanism for restricting movement of the storage cassette in the drawing direction, and to an image forming apparatus that is provided with such a recording medium storage apparatus.
Conventionally, there have been widely used storage cassettes for storing a plurality of sheets of paper (recording medium) in a stack and for feeding them to an image forming section in the body of an image forming apparatus according to its image forming operation. An image forming apparatus is provided with a lock mechanism to restrict movement of a storage cassette in the drawing direction while the storage cassette is inserted in the body of the image forming apparatus.
In one example of a conventional image forming apparatus, the lock mechanism includes a locking member (engaging portion) provided on the apparatus body and a convex portion (engaged portion) provided on the storage cassette to be engaged with the engaging portion. The locking member is biased downward by a spring or the like and, during insertion of the storage cassette, rides over and engages with the convex portion. Now, for the storage cassette to move in the drawing direction, the locking member has to ride back over the convex portion against the biasing force. In this way, movement of the storage cassette in the drawing direction is restricted.